U s government shutdown

By The Associated Press Sat., Dec. 29, 2018 WASHINGTON—Museums and galleries popular with visitors and locals in the nation’s capital will close starting midweek if the partial shutdown of the federal government drags on. So will the National Zoo and a lively ice rink near the National Mall. The attractions have stayed open by using unspent funds, but they are about to run out of that money. Museums and galleries under the Smithsonian Institution umbrella will close starting Jan. 2, the Smithsonian said on its website. That includes the zoo, as well as the National Air and Space Museum, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of Natural History, and several galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery, with its paintings of former presidents. Article Continued Below Smithsonian facilities are open on Jan. 1. Trump threatens to shut down border as funding stalemate drags on U.S. government shutdown … [Read more...] about DC museums and galleries to close next week in U.S. government shutdown

By The Associated Press Thu., Dec. 27, 2018 NEW YORK—The partial government shutdown has prompted the chief judge of Manhattan federal courts to suspend work on civil cases involving U.S. government lawyers. Judge Colleen McMahon said in a written order that the suspension will remain in effect until the business day after U.S. President Donald Trump signs a budget appropriation law restoring Justice Department funding. The Manhattan courts, with several dozen judges, are among the nation’s busiest courts. The order suspends action in several civil lawsuits in which Trump is a defendant. In one of them, a judge last week ruled that a group of people suing Trump and his three eldest children can remain anonymous because they fear retaliation by the president or his followers. A similar order to McMahon’s has been issued in the Northern District of Ohio. Article Continued Below Read more: Trump signals no end to shutdown — ‘You … [Read more...] about U.S. government shutdown leads to suspension of civil court cases

WASHINGTON—Congress sped toward reopening the government late Monday as Democrats reluctantly voted to temporarily pay for resumed operations. They relented in return for Republican assurances that the Senate will soon take up the plight of young immigrant “dreamers” and other contentious issues.The vote set the stage for hundreds of thousands of federal workers to return on Tuesday, cutting short what could have become a messy and costly impasse. The House approved the measure shortly thereafter, sending the spending bill to U.S. President Donald Trump for his signature.But by relenting, the Democrats prompted a backlash from immigration activists and liberal base supporters who wanted them to fight longer and harder for legislation to protect from deportation the 700,000 or so younger immigrants who were brought to the country as children and now are here illegally. Read more: Why a U.S. government shutdown holds risks for Democratic senators facing re-election … [Read more...] about Three-day U.S. government shutdown set to end as Democrats relent

WASHINGTON—The U.S. government shutdown will extend into the workweek as the Senate appeared to inch closer to ending a partisan stalemate late Sunday but fell short of agreement.Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and his Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said negotiations were still underway into the night, with a vote to break a Democratic filibuster on a short-term funding bill scheduled for noon Monday. Seeking to win over holdout votes, McConnell pledged Sunday that the Senate would take up legislation on some top Democratic priorities, including immigration, if they aren’t already addressed by Feb. 8.“We have yet to reach an agreement on a path forward,” Schumer said, adding that talks would continue.McConnell’s commitment follows hours of behind-the-scenes talks between the leaders and rank-and-file lawmakers over how to end the two-day display of legislative dysfunction. The Senate adjourned without voting Sunday, guaranteeing the shutdown would … [Read more...] about U.S. government shutdown extends into Monday as partisan stalemate continues

WASHINGTON—Sen. Robert Casey Jr., a Pennsylvania Democrat facing re-election this year in a state that narrowly voted to put Donald Trump in the White House, was the sort of senator Republicans hoped would vote against their bill to fund the government late Friday.Casey obliged — and his likely 2018 opponent, recruited by Trump, wasted no time accusing him of voting to “put illegal immigrants over health insurance for our kids.”But Casey scoffed at the barb, accusing Republicans of cynically adding an extension of the Children’s Health Insurance Program to the bill for political leverage — all for a spending deal that doesn’t provide a long-term road map for military spending, the opioid crisis or “dreamers,” the young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children. Read more: Democrats, Republicans point fingers at each other as U.S government shutdown continues … [Read more...] about Why a U.S. government shutdown holds risks for Democratic senators facing re-election